The Wild Detectives
314 W. 8th St.
7:30 p.m. Wednesday
Free
The Wild Detectives, 314 W. Eighth St., offers a night of poetry reading from four North Texas poets: Susana Edith, Melania-Luisa Marte, Johnny Olson and James Barrett Rodehaver. Edith is the founder of Lucha Dallas, an activist "mini-magazine." Marte is a member of the 2017 Dallas Poetry Slam Team, an inveterate Instagrammer (@feministmami) and founder of GetFreeStayWoke, a website that describes itself as "A Clapback. A Conversation on Activism and Revolution. Self-Preservation in Memes and other Intersectional Feminist shit." Olson is a founder of MadSwirl, an online literary site, a former Marine and a poet whose works include "She Whispers to Me," a sensuous paean to riding his scooter in downtown Dallas. Rodehaver is the author of Strangely Wonderful, a volume that includes a poem titled "Zealots," which has lines about trekking "through the snows of ignorance and dissent, to the grand castle of bigotry, where the moat's filled with intolerant acid and the drawbridge is biased and wary." The Wild Detectives also serves booze and coffee in case you need it. The show, the first Pegasus Reading Series event at The Wild Detectives, is free and starts at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 20. — Patrick Williams
Richard Hickam — Expressions of Color
Bivins Gallery
300 Crescent Court, Suite 100
10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday
Free
Artist Richard Hickam began his lengthy career creating brightly colored, heavily patterned photorealistic paintings, but over the decades, he worked through a range of styles. His more recent works are expressionist paintings that revel in bold color and broad, heavy brushstrokes that maintain a realistic edge while bringing life and soul to his subjects, both in portraits and still lifes. See an exhibit of the Los Angeles-born artist’s work, Expressions of Color, at Bivins Gallery, 300 Crescent Court, Suite 100. Hickam will attend the opening reception, which starts at 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16. The free show continues through Saturday, Oct. 21. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. — Patrick Williams
Finger Snaps: The Sketch City Edition and Impromptu Poetry Slam
Heroes Lounge
7402 Greenville Ave.
8 p.m. Friday
$10
Long before the advent of televised entertainment, poets were the real rock stars of their day. They used the excesses of their vices to explore the hidden meanings of human existence. They were the artists who had groupies and scads of voracious followers turning out for their poetry readings and slam sessions. Help elevate poetry to its classic, rock stardom roots by cheering for your favorites at Laugh Tracks and Finger Snaps: The Sketch City Edition and Impromptu Poetry Slam at 8 p.m. Friday at the Heroes Lounge, 7402 Greenville Ave. The evening will include live performances by comedians Quenton Q. Coleman and C.J. Starr and live poetry writing and recitation competitions for cash and a qualifying spot at the Women of the World Poetry Slam in 2018. Tickets are $10. Visit thedallaspoetryslam.com for more information. — Danny Gallagher
All of this baklava can be yours — for a price — at the Greek Food Festival of Dallas.
Kathy Tran
Oak Point Park
2801 E. Spring Creek Parkway
Friday-Sunday
$5
Celebrate 38 years of ballooning in Plano at the InTouch Credit Union Plano Balloon Festival, a three-day event starting at 4 p.m. Friday at Oak Point Park, 2801 E. Spring Creek Parkway. Closing time is 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 7 p.m. Sunday. Pick your favorite balloon shape and climb aboard Tomcat, Annie Ladybug or High Kitty for a chance to look down on Plano and at those of us who prefer gazing up instead of down. Launchings are at 6 p.m. Friday and 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. On the ground, enjoy a kids' fun zone, fireworks, skydivers, music concerts and food galore. Admission is $4 for seniors, free for kids up to 36 inches tall and $5 for everyone else. For a complete schedule, visit planoballoonfest.org or facebook.com/planoballoon. — Reba Liner
Greek Food Festival of Dallas
Trinity Greek Orthodox Church
13555 Hillcrest Road
Friday-Sunday
$6
It’s time for the 2017 Greek Food Festival of Dallas, and if stomachs aren’t already rumbling, they should be. The festival runs noon to 11 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 13555 Hillcrest Road. It will offer delicious Greek classics for purchase along with cooking demonstrations of baklava, pastitsio, spanakopita, dolmas and more. Greek band Thymios will provide festival music, and the Holy Trinity Hellenic Dancers will perform traditional Greek dancing. Tickets are $6 for people ages 13 and older, and food tickets are 10 for $10. Visit greekfestivalofdallas.com for schedules and more details. — Merritt Martin
Convergence
LMB Art Glass
1644 Irving Blvd.
5 p.m. Saturday
Free
Vibrant oceanic art glass plays alongside bright, acrylic, large-scale paintings at LMB Art Glass, 1644 Irving Blvd., during its Convergence show featuring contemporary glass artist Cathy Shepherd and abstract artist Daniel Padilla. Both artists explore vast arrays of color, allowing bold hues to bounce playfully off each other while creating beautiful dissonance. Shepherd’s use of turquoise, pink, green and orange is the result of her time spent in several tropical areas of the world, and her nature-inspired work embraces a multitude of textures and dimensions. Padilla’s paintings are centralized and scattered at once, from long, thoughtful brushstrokes to marblelike finishes. Catch the opening of Convergence at 5 p.m. Saturday. More information about the free event can be found at lmbartglass.com. — Diamond Victoria
Endless Night Vampire Ball
The Church at Lizard Lounge
2424 Swiss Ave.
9 p.m. Sunday-4 a.m. Monday
$10
If Halloween can’t come fast enough for you, we suggest you dive headfirst into the abyss with the Endless Night Vampire Ball hosted by The Church Dallas and Father Sebastian. Masquerade in your most sinister goth gear and make a night of it from 9 p.m. Sunday to 4 a.m. Monday at the Lizard Lounge, 2424 Swiss Ave. Winners of the best-dressed costume contest will receive two VIP tickets to the New Orleans Vampire Ball and will live in infamy. Admission is $10 for people older than 21 and $15 for those younger; visit thechurchdallas.com for more information. – Jennifer Davis-Lamm
